The Delta independent., 1887-05-31
BURNING OF A THEATRE.
Tho Opera Com'qa in Paris Destroyed oy
Fire and = lumber of lives Lost.

Tho Opera Com a ae in Paris Destroyed BY
Fire and = lumber Of lives Lost
PARIS, May 25.-The Opera unique
took fire this evening and the whole bu.d
ing Is now wrapped in flames. Fourteen
persons who jumped from the windows
are dead and forty-tfrse were injured. 1t
is probable that many wefs crushed to
death in the galleries, but at present this Is
uncertain. The fire broke out during the
first act of the opera "Mignon." One OF the
wings caught fire from; gas jet and the
entire stage was Immediately crTeloped in
flames. The fire soon spread to the Whole
house. Madame Mergviller and Madanis
Tusquim and Bernard were on the stage
when the fire broke out. All Of the actors
ran out in their stage costumes.
The audience got out early, but the gas
was turned off before all had left the build
ing, and it is feared some were left in the
upper tiers. The roof soon fell in, sending
showers of sparks as far as the Place de La
Bourses. With the exception Of Madame
Seller. who perished, all of the actors es-
capped, though number were seriously in
jured. Five bodies terribly burnt, were
conveyed to the National Library, among
whom was a woman with young child
clasped in her arms.
The women half clad and carrying their
costumes, fed from the stage screaming
and the supers and members Of the chorus
were terrified. Some of the latter fed with
nothing on but their tights. The flames
spread with such rapidity that in fifteen
bo cf fuvn Gov.
eral actors escaped by climbing to the roof
on the side of the Rue Merivante, where
they were rescued bv the fire-escapes. N.
Tasquin implored the audience to remain
seated until the exits were opened, which
they did. Ifthey had made a rush for the
doors the loss of life would have been ter
ribe.
The scene outside was one of the widest
excitement The falling embers struck
the horses in the surrounding streets, caus.
ing them to plunge and rear. The flames
shot out of every window, forcing the
crowd into the narrow street, where the
crush was terrific.
4 fgurante says there were $50 persons
on the stage when the fire broke out. She
heard the glass breaking, but told the 9th
ers not to mind it. While she was speak
ing a column of fire broke through the
wings with roar and all rushed pell mel
from the stage. Many policemen were in
! iured and it is still unknown as to how
many persons were unable to escape from
the doomed building.
| Most OF the casualties as far as report
ed were due to nervousness. Many per
sons who were unable to trust themselve.
to walk on the narrow ledge Of cornict
around the building jumped of in thei
terror One woman cooliy walked arount
the cornice while the flames were bursting
above her. until she reached the fire es
cape. The victims were most all singers.
LATER PARTICULARS.
PARIS. May c6.-The bodies of the ballet
dancers who lost their lives by the burning
of the Opera Comique last night are lyin,
in heaps in the ruins Of the theatre Th'
iremen assert that many bodies are lyini
in the upper galleries. The number of per
sons killed greatly exceeds the previous es
Inmates. An excited crowd surrounds tn
ruins which are guarded by a military cor
don. Twenty bodies in a terribly mutilatet
condition have been recoved from the ruins
The remains are principally those of ballet
girls, choristers and machinists.
| The walls of the theater began fallinl
this evening, and the search for bodies ha,
to be abandoned for the day. The li5rar.
attached to the theater was entirely de
s;royed with all of its contents, ircludin!
many valuable scenes. Six thousand cos
tunes were burned in the wardrobe.
| - forf ha NOD
resumed to night and a number more wer
exhumed. An official statement says fft
bodies have already been recovered.
NJ. RevielIon, speaking in the Chamber o
Deputies this afternoon, estimated that a
least go persons had lost their lives in tn
fire. The Chamber of Deputies has voted
credit of 10000 francs for the relief Of tn,
sufferers by the fire.
To-day l55 missing persons have been in
quIred for by their relatives. They are SUP
posed to have perished in the flames. Tn
bottom of the theater is flooded with waite
to the depth of FIVE feet and sixty bodie
have been found floating in the water b
the firemen.
Among the audience at the Opera &c
mique last night was General Boulangel
General Saussier, General Thebaudin. N
Goblet and NJ. Berthelot, and all escape
unhurt. An artist named PHILIPPE pei
formed prodigies of valor in saving life. II
mounted ladder three times and save
three danseuses after they had been abar
doned by the tiremen. In the Rue Fauvea
n sudden gust OF wind clearing away I'll
dense smoke, a woman and two men wer
seen standing in an angle of the uppermos
curnice. The woman uied to jump but tn
men prevented her and when all were fina
ly rescued the woman was a rsving ma
| mac.